1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a system and method for exchanging the location of E85 gas stations between vehicles and, more particularly, to a system and method for exchanging the location and other information concerning E85 gas station between vehicles using a short range wireless communications system, such as a DSRC communications system.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Traffic accidents and roadway congestion are significant problems for vehicle travel. Vehicular ad-hoc network (VANET) based active safety and driver assistance systems are known that allow a vehicle communications system to transmit messages to other vehicles in a particular area with warning messages about dangerous road conditions, driving events, accidents, etc. In these systems, multi-hop geocast routing protocols, known to those skilled in the art, are commonly used to extend the reachability of the warning messages, i.e., to deliver active messages to vehicles that may be a few kilometers away from the road condition, as a one-time multi-hop transmission process. In other words, an initial message advising drivers of a potential hazardous road condition is transmitted from vehicle to vehicle using the geocast routing protocol so that vehicles a significant distance away will receive the messages because one vehicle's transmission range is typically relatively short.
Vehicular ad-hoc network based active safety and driver assistance systems allow a wireless vehicle communications system, such as a dedicated short range communication (DSRC) system, known to those skilled in the art, to transmit messages to other vehicles in a particular area with warning messages about driving conditions. In these systems, multi-hop geocast routing protocols, known to those skilled in the art, are commonly used to extend the reachability of the warning messages, i.e., to deliver active messages to vehicles that may be a few kilometers away, as a one-time multi-hop transmission process. In other words, an initial message advising drivers of a certain situation is transmitted from vehicle to vehicle using the geocast routing protocol so that relevant vehicles a significant distance away will receive the messages where one vehicle's direct transmission range is typically relatively short.
Vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2X) applications require a minimum of one entity to send information to another entity. For example, many vehicle-to-vehicle safety applications can be executed on one vehicle by simply receiving broadcast messages from a neighboring vehicle. These messages are not directed to any specific vehicle, but are meant to be shared with a vehicle population to support the safety application. In these types of applications where collision avoidance is desirable, as two or more vehicles talk to each other and a collision becomes probable, the vehicle systems can warn the vehicle drivers, or possibly take evasive action for the driver, such as applying the brakes. Likewise, traffic control units can observe the broadcast of information and generate statistics on traffic flow through a given intersection or roadway.
The vehicle ad-hoc network communication systems discussed above have almost exclusively been used for safety applications. However, those systems can be extended to other applications, including non-safety applications.
Some vehicles are able to be driven on unleaded gasoline as well as a gasoline/alcohol mixture known in the industry as E85 fuel. Using E85 fuel is desirable for certain consumers because it provides another source of fuel besides gasoline. However, because of various reasons, such as not understanding E85 technology, not knowing what E85 is, not knowing whether a particular vehicle is E85-enabled, not knowing the location of E85 fuel stations, etc., E85 fuel has not caught on significantly with consumers. These reasons include that customers are not aware of the availability and location of gas stations that provide E85 fuel. Particularly, only a few gas stations provide E85 fuel and those gas stations change regularly where sometimes they will provide the E85 fuel and other time they won't. Thus, in order to make consumers more aware and knowledgeable about E85 gas stations, it may be desirable to provide a wireless communication and information processing system and method that allows for the exchange of information about E85 gas stations among the vehicles that are capable of consuming E85 fuel.